The End.

  As we see genius hour coming to a bittersweet end, I have the pleasure of answering some questions about my experience with this project & the things that went along with all of it.
  I believe my favorite part about the topic I chose was the fact that it was something I could get very passionate about, something I could probably go on with for days. It made the whole process easier & helped me to better motivate myself. Although I feel my topic had many benefits, it also had several cons that came along with it. By far, my least favorite part about the project was how sad it was. Doing LGBT+ rights, of course I saw a lot of really shocking statistics & stories that really upset me.
  Leading into the next few questions, I believe my favorite part of genius hour research was that we got to choose our own topics. This gave us a chance to really have fun with this project, & help us to educate ourselves on things we are passionate about. My least favorite part was definately the blogs! I felt as if I was giving away big pieces of my presentation when I would create paragraphs every week showing what I learned so far. It made me feel as if when I presented, everything I went over had already been said on my blog. Also, if I finished a blog entry early, it was hard to find people who had just recently posted things I could comment on. I just had a difficult time with the blogging part in general.
  As genius hour is coming to a close, I learned that I am definitely NOT someone who can just read articles & stories & get into what I'm learning. Videos help me a lot, being able to see & hear everything. I also learned that I am a very compassionate person that understands the emotions of hardships of others, & finds myself getting involved to try & solve the problem. LGBT+ rights, or should I say, human rights, is a highly controversial topic in today's society. But since the day we've been a country, the U.S. has been promoting life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. & no one deserves for their happiness to be robbed from them based on something they cannot change.
 

  & as genius hour research ends, my passion for my topic will not. I will continue to speak out against hate & push for a better generation, a better tomorrow.
 

   "because everyone has the right to love, & be loved. & that's the position I take."

LGBT+ Statistics

       This week I found myself looking at LGBT+ youth statistics. Within my research, I found these statistics.

• 90% of LGBT+ youth says that they are out to close friends, while 64% says they are out to all their peers
• 75% of LGBT+ youth say that their peers do not have a problem with LGBT+ people
• 92% of LGBT+ youth say they hear negative comments about being gay (the biggest sources of these comments are from school and the internet)
• over 3/4 of the LGBT+ youth community say that they know things will get better

       While these are on more of a positive spectrum, there are also several more statistics that aren't so positive.

• 42% of LGBT+ youth say the community of people in which they live are not accepting of LGBT+ people.
• 26% of LGBT+ youth say their biggest problem is not feeling accepted by their family/peers, yet 22% of non LGBT+ youth say their biggest problems lie within grades and school
• 73% of LGBT+ youth feel more comfortable with themselves online than in real life
• 25% of LGB youth have been psyhically harmed by others who are unaccepting of their sexual orientation
• 55% of transgender youth are harassed due to gender identity
• 28% of LGBT+ youth drop out because of this harassment 
• 40% of homeless youth are LGBT+
• 34% of LGBT+ youth report abuse from their parents as a result of their sexual orientation
• LGBT+ youth account for 30% of suicides a year

     

Poetry!

Land of The Free

and i don’t support a country
where we say we’re free
but we lock lovers up

and i don’t want to stand
and pledge alliegance
when i was born here
i don’t belong here
if my brothers can’t love men
and my sisters can’t like girls

i want rights
i want my people to be free
why shame when it comes naturally
and you can’t tell me that i can’t say this
because it comes from my heart,
well it comes from their hearts

oh and i won't stand
i won't put my hand over my heart
send me to the principal
suspend me for days.
i wont stand
not for a death wish

and on some days,
i will not speak
not because i can’t
but because i wont

and i won’t love
until my sisters can
and i can’t be free
until my brothers are

-Sasha Moore
Found this awesome poem! (:

Trans Youth (cont.)

In addition to my previous post on conversion therapy, I've included a picture of Leelah Alcorn. (:

Trans Youth

Following the recent death of Leelah Alcorn, LGBT+ conversion therapy has been under review. Conversion therapy is a process used against the LGBT+ community in order to "cure" (brainwash) their perception of gender identity and sexuality. In Leelah's case, she was forced to attend this "therapy" by her parents, which in the end, resulted in her death. After her death, Leelah's parents continued to refer to her with male pronouns and refer to her as their son. Any tribute from her parents included her birth name, Joshua, and as previously stated, incorrect male pronouns. Within the first few months of 2015, there have already been several trans youth suicides. If you wish, I will include two links to articles on Leelah's death, as well as an online petition to enact "Leelah's Law", the ban of conversion therapy.
Articles: 
- http://www.ibtimes.com/leelah-alcorns-transgender-suicide-sparks-leelahs-law-petition-ban-conversion-therapy-1771324 
- http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/leelah-alcorns-suicide-note-put-4923231
Leelah's Law Petition:
- https://www.change.org/p/president-of-the-united-states-enact-leelah-s-law-to-ban-transgender-conversion-therapy?just_created=true

Introduction to Genius Hour!

Driving Question: What can I learn about human rights in order to make a difference?
Hello! As many of you may know, my name is Jazmin, and for the next few weeks I will be participating in genius hour! For my topic, I've chosen to research human rights, LGBT+ rights in particular. I want to research the topic as a whole and see what there is I could do to improve the situation and help others. I'm really looking forward to this project!

xo